Show CASE - Chick Card by Janelle

I promised another punch art chick, and although it's getting late for Easter card, I thought I'd better share.  You could also make this a baby card, in fact the original was a baby card.  This one is a long time in the making.

When free time is in short supply, a card CASE (Copy And Share with Everyone) can be the perfect way to have a little fun!.  Show CASE is my personal attempt to have that time for stamping, without of the pressure to create something totally original.  I want to pay tribute to the many talented stampers out in the blogosphere that are so inspiring to me.  I hope you enjoy seeing my "take" on their creation.

Today's card is by Janelle @ Show and Tell.

I changed the colors from Janelle's original and I added a few more flowers.  Please check out Janelle's card.  Her husband is keeping her blog up and running.  Sadly, Janelle passed away last year with a brain tumor.  She was an incredible card maker and a such a positive and friendly lady.  I miss her and think of her often.

So, please count your blessings, hug and kiss the ones you love and have a happy Easter!

Hugs,
Shelley

Super Simple Treat Bag

Well, my title may be a bit misleading.  The treat bags themselves?  Very simple.  The punch art chick, not difficult but a little time consuming.  I needed 6, so I made them assembly style and it wasn't too bad.  I struggled some, getting the wings the right size and each one is probably a slightly different, but I went with it!

Super simple, right?  They had to be...I was in a bit of a rush to get them in the mail.  The closure isn't anything fancy, but I wanted to make sure the little ones could open them.

 

Even with the extra work, I just love the punch art chick.  I have another punch art chick art to share.  This one a little bigger!  Stay tuned.

Carrot Barrettes For the Nieces

OK, let's just ignore the fact I've been away for almost a month!  Not what I had planned.  I think my absence started when I needed to take a little break, just a week.  Unfortunately, when I was ready to come back, I came down with a terrible cold!  I didn't feel like doing anything.  The last obstacle happened when I began helping my mom and dad settle my great aunt's estate.  Lots of days spent sorting and getting ready for a tag sale.  Each day I came home exhausted!  Well, that came to an end this past Sunday.  A few days of catch-up around the house....and here I am!

I recently purchased these barrette cover dies from Papertrey Ink and before they arrived I knew what my first project would be!  I have FOUR nieces under the age of 6 (with a 5th one due next month!)... so this die will get a workout!  I think they turned out adorable!

I wanted a cute way to send them, of course!  So, I used the library card stamp and stamped each of their names.

So, I still need to make Easter cards for my friends... and I will share the treat bags I made for the kiddies.  Guess you'll be seeing me real soon!

Branch Out...Birthday

I was spending the morning responding to posts, going through my e-mail and trying to visit a few blogs.  I felt behind, although I've felt worse!  Somewhere in hour two I had the overwhelming urge to make a card.  So, that's what I did!

Now, I also need to take care of a little business.  I was just tickled pink to win a few honors over the last week.  One at Freshly Made Sketches for THIS card.  I was chosen a "Perfect Princess" by the lovely Cindy Hall!

This week is a sketch by Allisa (also very lovely.)  So, my first thought for the shape was a Christmas tree, but that changed.  It may be a little obscure but the sketch is there!

The other challenge I did well with...Stampin' Royalty.  I made their top three with THIS card and have been given the title of "Goddess."  Hee!  Hee!  This week they have a gorgeous photo to play with!  I knew exactly what stamp I wanted to use.

Then, a glitter challenge over at City Crafter Challenge.  I don't use glitter too often.   Love the effects, not the mess!

Anyway, here's what I came up with:

I'd like to share a few tips about the glitter I used.  I hope you find them useful.

This is a close-up my test sample.  Sorry, it's out of focus!  But see how the pink glitter has migrated onto the silver?  Also, the black isn't very vibrant on that white paper.  I "fixed" that by adhering the glitter to strips similar to the glitter color BEFORE I adhered them to the card.

My favorite technique for making glitter stick is using adhesive like Sticky Strip (Scor-tape) or a sticker maker (like a Xyron.)  This is one of my strips before peeling away the backing and adding the glitter.

It worked great!  Super easy and my strips are very straight.  Success!

OK, now that I have that out of my system...I will go back to commenting and blog surfing! 

Pinwheel

I have had this card in my head since early yesterday morning.  I am so glad to "get it out."  I was stumped for the longest time.  Finally, I had a plan...sort of.  Tonight I got two thumbs up from my 15 year old daughter.  She actually went on and on about all the things she liked about it.  Plus, she said it's the kind of card she would like to get.  That's good enough for me!

I made this sentiment in Photoshop.  I had no sentiment for this pinwheel.  I'm a sucker for a good pun!  Here's a close-up of the pinwheel, made from some felt from my stash.  Much easier than making one with paper!

So, I managed two challenges out of this card.  Dynamic Duos:

And Make it Monday...Pinwheels over at Capture the Moment!

Whew!  I think I need a day off! 

Kismet....

What is Kismet?

Kismet in regards to language, is known as fate, fortune or luck. It is actually derived from Turkey, which was spelled qismet, which meant he divided.

That's the way I feel today.  I had no real intentions of making a card.  Even so, I decided to check out the newest challenges posted.  Over at Mojo Monday, a very interesting sketch.

It happened to be along the lines of a card I began last night.  A new technique (to me) that I thought I could incorporate in the latest Stampin' Royalty challenge.

I will say, brights scare me!  Not in my comfort zone at all!  So, I wanted to try this new technique and maybe do a little something to conquer my fear of brights.
                                     

The sketch and the color combination came together so well!  It one of the rare cards I didn't torture myself over every excruciating detail.  AND...I love it!

This technique with the DMC floss is called "spirelli."  If you search for it on Pinterest, you'll find TONS of examples.  In case you are wondering, these are the colors I used:
                            

Now I will say, I was remembering the Stampin' Royalty challenge incorrectly.  I thought it was Pacific Point, when actually it was Tempting Turquoise.  I know with most color challenges the idea is to get close to the color, so I hope I'm not breaking any rules here!

OK, now I have some catching up to...no more cards today!  See ya tomorrow?

Dasher ... A Jingle Belles Challenge

This weekend has been great.  Just goofing off in my craft room.  It is darn cold here in Iowa so I love going into my craft room, cranking up the oil heater and hibernating in there!  I haven't done a Christmas card in a couple weeks so I thought I'd go visit the jingle belles.  They didn't fail me.  They had a sketch I could work with, it just took a little more time than I expected.

I had the basic idea of what I wanted, but it was just a little too plain for me.  That's when I decided to use up my scraps and make a patchwork background.  I LOVE using my scraps!  I took all blues and greens and I used strips of Heat and Bond, a fusible webbing, to put it all together.  Much easier than glues and tapes.  I think it should hold better, too.

Now you want to know the weird part?  As I am preparing this post, getting the URLs to paste here, I see a card already posted with amazing similarity to mine.  Go figure!  I'm always afraid of this happening, which is why I try not to look at the challenge post and I try and do the challenge soon after it's been posted.  Well, it's bound to happen.  I'll have to make sure and leave her a comment.